The Northern Song Dynasty returned south, seeking the truth of the Dao.

"Halt! Who are you?"

When that person turned around, Wang Zhen clearly saw his face, which looked exactly like Xiao Liu Zi's. However, the expression on his face when he saw the two of them was not one of joy, but rather one of slight panic.

There was three parts surprise, six parts panic, and one part fear in his voice. It was as if he had been caught doing something wrong. Seeing him run away, Wang Zhen didn't even think twice before gathering his strength and following after him.

Ao Shuang followed closely behind, and the three of them, one fleeing and the other chasing, quickly disappeared into the woods. Wang Zhenhuan grew increasingly alarmed as he chased, realizing that this little Liu Zi clearly had no spiritual cultivation whatsoever.

But no matter how hard he and Ao Shuang tried, they couldn't catch up with him. In fact, as the forest grew denser, Xiao Liuzi's distance from them actually increased.

He could previously see Xiao Liuzi's silhouette, but now he could only vaguely make out his head through the trees. Just as he was becoming anxious, he suddenly heard Ao Shuang behind him shout, "Little brother, protect me!"

He snapped to attention, knowing Ao Shuang was about to cast a spell. He slowed his pace and approached her, cautiously surveying their surroundings. It seemed now that Xiao Liu Zi was definitely possessed by something.

During the chase, Wang Zhen clearly saw that the reason Xiao Liu was able to run so fast in the forest was because his feet were not fully in contact with the ground.

Instead, only his toes touched the ground, as if he were walking on stilts. There's only one explanation for this: he's been possessed by something!

Xiao Liu Zi had been possessed by Chen Ruoruo before, so his yang energy was already insufficient, and this place was also a desolate wilderness. Xiao Liu Zi probably ran here because of an earth dragon turning over.

His distracted state allowed someone to take advantage of the situation. In that short time, Wang Zhenhuan had already analyzed the general course of events. The more tense the moment, the clearer his mind became.

Just as he was analyzing what had happened, Ao Shuang beside him began to make hand seals and silently chant incantations. After she finished chanting, she took out a yellow talisman from her bosom and threw it in the direction where Xiao Liu had disappeared.

The yellow talisman spontaneously combusted upon contact with the wind and quickly disappeared into the air. Then, a streak of white light appeared before the two. The light hovered in the air for a moment before flying forward.

"Keep up!"

Ao Shuang gave a soft shout, then stepped on the tree trunk for leverage, following the stream of light. Wang Huanzhen followed closely behind. The stream of light seemed to possess a kind of sentience.

They wandered through the forest, leaving traces of Xiao Liuzi's passage wherever they went. Following these traces, the two arrived at the entrance of a cave in the mountains.

The stream of light swirled a few times in front of the cave entrance before disappearing into mid-air. Wang Zhenhuan stared at the dark entrance, then looked up at Ao Shuang and asked, "Brother? Is Xiao Liuzi inside?"

"Yes, what I just used was a Hundred-Mile Tracking Talisman, which can track a trail up to a hundred miles away. It used to be a talisman used by Taoist priests to find rare and precious materials."

"This must be the place. I noticed the waiter was walking on tiptoe; he must have been bewitched by something. When we go in, you must protect your seven orifices and divine palace, and be careful not to fall into a trap," Ao Shuang instructed.

"Understood, brother." Wang Huanzhen nodded and then followed Ao Shuang into the cave. To his surprise, although the cave didn't look big from the outside, it was a completely different world inside.

Not only was it long and damp, but it also had a musty smell that was quite pungent. Wang Zhenhuan frowned as he and Ao Shuang continued on their way. Soon they reached the end of the cave.

Through the darkness, Wang Huanzhen could vaguely see a figure standing there. It seemed to be waiting for something, and after Wang Huanzhen and Ao Shuang approached, the figure turned around.

Wang Huanzhen recognized the man immediately; it was none other than Xiao Liuzi. However, Xiao Liuzi was pale and expressionless, staring blankly at the two of them. Wang Huanzhen whispered to him:

"Little Six? Little Six?"

After calling out twice, the figure didn't answer, but suddenly raised its hand. Ao Shuang instinctively stepped forward and whispered to the figure, "Go!"

Immediately, Wang Zhenhuan saw a fireball the size of a palm emerge from his fingertip and fly towards Xiao Liuzi. He had seen this move before; it was the same move used by Daoist Luo Puzi.

Its name is: Li Huo Tian Xiang.

This is the signature technique of the Shangqing lineage, and I didn't expect Ao Shuang, with only a red-qi cultivation level, to be able to unleash it. It seems that he holds a high position within the Shangqing lineage.

Moreover, this spell can adapt to the user's cultivation level and change its size automatically; it's truly amazing. Just as Wang Zhen was marveling at it, the fireball suddenly flew straight towards the dazed Xiao Liu Zi.

They thought their attack would be successful, but to their surprise, Xiao Liuzi showed no intention of dodging. He grinned at Ao Shuang and Wang Zhenhuan, then closed his eyes and collapsed to the ground.

Wang Zhenhuan saw a wisp of gray energy emerge from his body and fly towards the cave entrance. Without hesitation, he leaped forward and struck the gray energy with his palm.

Unexpectedly, the spiritual energy seemed to sense something, dissipating in the air. Having dodged Wang Zhenhuan's palm strike, it then regrouped in front of them and quickly disappeared into the cave.

Ao Shuang hurriedly stepped forward, waved her hand to dispel the flames, and hugged Xiao Liuzi in her arms. Wang Zhenhuan watched the spiritual energy disappear, then turned and returned to Ao Shuang's side.

Ao Shuang held Xiao Liu Zi's hand, closed her eyes to sense for a moment, and said with a solemn expression, "Yin is excessive and Yang is deficient. If Yang energy cannot be replenished in time, I'm afraid his life will be in danger."

"What should we do? Where can we find something to generate yang energy in this desolate wilderness? It's all my fault, I should have told Xiao Liu Zi before going down into the cave!" Wang Zhenhuan said regretfully.

"It's alright, let's go out first. I used my spiritual energy to protect his seven orifices and divine palace. Fortunately, that thing hasn't been possessing him for long, otherwise it might have been too late." Ao Shuang picked up Xiao Liu Zi and got up.

They walked out of the cave together with Wang Zhenhuan. After they turned the corner, the scene before them stunned them. The cave entrance, which had been perfectly fine when they came in, was now gone.

They were now completely blocked by a huge rock. The rock looked to weigh at least a thousand pounds, and it seemed unlikely that the two of them would be able to get out anytime soon.

"What should we do? This thing is probably doing this on purpose, deliberately luring us here." Wang Zhenhuan stepped forward and pushed the stone. The stone didn't budge.

He punched the rock and said angrily. Ao Shuang put Xiao Liu down and waved to Wang Zhenhuan, saying, "Come here and hold him, make sure the spiritual energy output isn't interrupted."

"Brother?" Wang Huanzhen stepped forward and took Xiao Liuzi from Ao Shuang's hands. He asked in confusion.

"I will reveal my true form and smash this rock apart!"